House Committees Plan to Consider Key Provisions of Reconciliation Bill This Week that Could Slash Funding for Food Assistance and Medicaid

Key committees in the House of Representatives are expected this week to introduce and review the proposed text of a massive reconciliation bill Republicans are trying to pass through Congress in the coming months. The Committees – Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Agriculture – are responsible for determining some of the most controversial provisions of the bill, including tax cuts and extensions, cuts to Medicaid and healthcare assistance, and cuts to food assistance. 

Congressional Republicans are using a special legislative process called “budget reconciliation” to pass a bill that would spend over $5 trillion to extend tax cuts, increase funding for immigration enforcement, and fund other Trump Administration priorities, while also cutting at least $1.5 trillion in the federal budget through funding cuts to other federal programs, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB; see Memo, 5/5), Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).   

While housing assistance has not been named as a potential target for cuts, the anti-poverty programs being considered play a crucial role in economic stability for people and families with low incomes, helping them put food on the table and receive needed medical care. The financial assistance these programs provide also promotes housing stability: by helping families afford the cost of food and other necessities, more money is left over at the end of the month to ensure rent is paid. States can also use Medicaid to cover health-related social needs, including housing. 

The threats to Medicaid, which serves over 72 million low-income people around the country, and SNAP, which serves over 42 million people, have triggered widespread outcry from advocates around the country. Public opposition to the proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP is pressuring moderate and swing-district Republicans to express concerns about the bill to leadership; as negotiations continue, it will be crucial for advocates – especially those in Republican districts and states – to keep up the pressure on their members of Congress to vote against any reconciliation bill that would cut vital safety net programs. 

The National Alliance to End Homelessness launched a Take Action page for advocates to quickly and easily contact their elected officials and urge them not to support cuts to Medicaid. Take action here: tinyurl.com/3c2ntnnw.

Learn more about how you can advocate for continued SNAP funding at the Food, Research, and Action Center’s (FRAC) website: tinyurl.com/2mzr5pb3.